Update 12/18/15 – The planning board unanimously approved plans on Wednesday for the self-storage project proposed by SSG Cushing Cohasset LLC. The primary storage building will comprise about 19,000 square feet. SSG indicated it will be ready to begin construction in February or March 2016, according to the source.

Although officials remain concerned about the need for a traffic signal at the intersection, they didn’t want to delay the project until the signal issue can be worked out with the state, the source reported. Cohasset originally applied for a traffic signal in 2006 during construction for the Greenbush rail line, but the state never approved or rejected the application.

Brewer spoke in favor of the project, noting it will fit in aesthetically with the surrounding area. “It’s harmonious and not injurious; it’s safe and convenient,” he said. “Those are the big issues.”

12/3/15 – Planning officials in Cohasset, Mass., are reviewing a self-storage project proposed by real estate developer SSG Cushing Cohasset LLC. The company intends to build a three-story facility on Scituate Hill off of Route 3A. The asset would comprise 58,200 square feet in up to 500 units. The planning board is expected to conclude the public-hearing process and vote on the project on Dec. 16, according to a source.

The board gave tentative approval last month pending the completion of requested project revisions, the source reported. During a meeting this week, SSG shared revisions to grading and a detailed drainage plan. It also presented a lighting plan and expanded landscaping requested during previous committee meetings.

“They have put some nice thought into making the building look appropriate,” said Robert Skolnick, chairman of the city’s design review board. “They could’ve put a chain-link fence, but instead they’re putting in a nicer-style wrought-iron fence. They broke up the building somewhat to soften it, so it’s not so warehouse-looking.”

The self-storage facility would be built between an assisted-living center and a sports complex. Construction would involve consolidating curb cuts to create a shared driveway between the self-storage facility and an adjacent building. The creation of the new access point could require the installation of a traffic light at the intersection, a source reported.

“The site has been dirt and weeds for quite some time. Having some kind of useful service there is a good thing,” Clark Brewer, planning chair, said during a hearing in November.

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